600 guides in moments in the room
The Home Group Folded
The meeting you counted on has folded. You did not get kicked out of A.A. Find another chair tonight, in a room or on the phone.
The Illustrated Steps When the Words Blur
The step list blurs and feels impossible. An illustrated pamphlet puts one step on a page with a picture. You can also go listen at a meeting.
The Illustrated Traditions Are Not a Class
Someone handed you the illustrated Traditions like a class you must pass. You do not have to study the pictures before you go back to a meeting.
The Keys Are in the Freezer
You put your keys in the freezer so you would not drive to the store. Leave them there. Find a phone or online meeting that does not need a car.
The Keys Are in Your Pocket
The keys are in your pocket. If they are in medical danger, call 911. Keys do not treat withdrawal. If the night is stable, you can still go to Al-Anon.
The Keys Were Still in Your Hand
You woke up with the keys still in your hand and no memory of the drive. Do not drive. Call 911 if you are hurt or sick. A meeting can wait.
The Kids Asked Why It Got Quiet
The kids asked why dinner got quiet, and you did not have a sentence ready. You can find an Al-Anon meeting after they are in bed.
The Landlord Texted
The landlord texted about last night's noise. You are ashamed and scared of losing the room. Answer briefly in the morning. Tonight, go to a meeting.
The Large-Print One Is Abridged
You asked for large print and got an abridged Fourth Edition. Bigger type was the point. You can sit without that copy and listen if they read a page you lack.
The Laundromat Headphones
You are in a laundromat with headphones, trying to be in a phone meeting while the machines bang. It is awkward, and it counts. Mute when you need to.
The Leaflet Left on Your Desk
A boss left a workplace leaflet on your desk. It is not your company rule. Public anonymity is not a promise your boss will not know. You can still go.
The Line Does Not Ask for Papers
You are afraid a meeting will ask for identification or papers. Membership is a desire to stop drinking. The welcome names no document. You can sit down anyway.
The Listing Said Men, and You Left
The listing said men and you are not a man, so you left. You do not have to argue that door. Tonight you can look for an open meeting, or one listed for women.
The Listing Said Open
You brought someone because the listing said open. Open means a visitor may sit in. If the door says closed, they can wait and you can still go in.
The Meeting Ended, Home Is Loud
The meeting ended and home is loud in your head before you get there. You can sit in the car, or find a second meeting, before you walk into it.
The Meeting Is Up a Flight of Stairs
The listing did not mention stairs, and you cannot climb them. Use a phone or online meeting tonight. You can ask about the entrance another day.
The Minibar Is in the Room
The hotel minibar is in the room and you are alone with it. Ask the desk to take it out, or leave the room, and join a phone meeting from the lobby.
The Newcomer Asked You to Drive
A new person asked you for a ride and you are not sure. You can say no. Giving rides is not a membership requirement. If the car feels unsafe, do not go.
The Newcomer Cried, and You Froze
A newcomer cried and you froze. You are not their rescuer. You can say one kind sentence after, or let someone else, and still be glad you stayed.
The Ninth Step Promises in Plain Words
You heard the promises and thought Thursday would fix your life. A meeting shares experience. It cannot promise the mess is gone. Here is what to do tonight.
The Notebook Stays Closed
You brought a notebook and you cannot write a word. You do not have to take notes to belong at a meeting. Listening still counts tonight.
The Number You Have Not Deleted
The number is still in your phone. You do not have to delete it before an NA meeting. You can delete it after you are in the room, or before.
The Old Corner Is on Your Walk
The old corner is on the walk you cannot avoid. Cross early, or change the block, and put an NA meeting at the end of the route. Do not stop to talk.
The Only One Without a Book
Everyone else has a book open and you do not. There are no dues or fees. You can listen while they read. You do not have to buy anything tonight.
The Other Group Is Not Your Boss
They said your group is wrong because another group does it differently. Each group is autonomous except in matters affecting other groups or A.A. as a whole.
The Pamphlet Is Not a Bill
You picked up a pamphlet and you are afraid they will charge you, or you walked out with one and you feel like a thief. Groups normally offer pamphlets free.
The Pamphlet You Picked Up
The sponsorship pamphlet on the literature table answers 34 questions from shared experience. You do not know those answers. You can attend with no sponsor.
The Parking Lot Smoke and the Craving
The craving got loud in the smoking circle outside the meeting. You can skip that circle. If the want is a drink, go back inside or call someone.
The Person You Asked Drank Again
The person you asked to sponsor you is drinking. Their drinking does not erase your desire to stop. There is no assignment desk. You can ask someone else.
The Pharmacy Line
You are in line at the pharmacy and your hands feel wrong. You can pick up the prescription that is yours. If you are about to buy a high, step out.
The Picture Book Can Wait
The visual history was the 2020 convention souvenir, and the English edition is listed sold out. You do not need that picture book before a meeting tonight.
The Pill Is Still in the Bottle
A prescribed pain pill is still in the bottle and you are scared of it. Call the prescriber before you decide alone. A meeting cannot answer that question.
The Pocket Copy Left Stories Behind
The small Big Book ends before the personal stories. That abridged softcover is still enough to sit in a meeting. If they read a story you lack, listen.
The Prayer Started and Your Bus Is Here
The closing started and your last bus will not wait. You can leave. You need not join a prayer. Catch the ride that gets you home sober.
The Preamble You Are Hearing
You spaced out during the opening. The chair usually reads the A.A. Preamble, a short description of the room. You do not have to recite it.
The Prescription Has Your Name
The bottle still has your name, and you are not sure if taking it is using. Do not decide from a share. Ask the prescriber, and go to NA if you want to stop.
The Primary Purpose Card Is Not Your Script
They passed F-17, a primary purpose card read at meetings. You can be the person still hurting and still pass it on. A stumble does not erase you.
The Prison Pamphlet Is Not a Map
Pamphlet P-26 shares how groups function in prisons and calls A.A. a helpful ally in some opinions. It is not a map of your building.
The Quiz Pamphlet Is Not a Test
You marked the illustrated pamphlet like an entrance exam and decided you failed. A desire to stop drinking is the door, not a passing score.
The Radio Spot Is Not Your Script
You heard A.A. on the radio and think you must sound like the spot. You can walk in sounding like yourself. You can also just listen.
The Reading Was About Alcohol
You came because of drugs and the reading was about drinking. NA asks for a desire to stop using. An open A.A. meeting can still let you listen.
The Recipe Wants Wine
A recipe calls for wine and the bottle is the problem. Cook the dish without it, or skip it, then get to a meeting tonight instead.
The Referral Pamphlet Is for the Clinic
A clinic handed you a pamphlet written for health care professionals. You are the patient. You can go to a meeting without performing their referral method.
The Responsibility Statement You Hear
Some meetings close with silence, a prayer, or the Responsibility Statement. You can hear it and stay quiet. Joining is not required.
The Rideshare Is Waiting
The rideshare is outside and you are still in the chair. You can finish the meeting or leave. If that car is not safe, do not get in. Call 911.
The Room Is Full
Every chair looks taken and you are stuck in the doorway. You can stand or take a folding chair. You do not have to introduce yourself to stay.
The Room Is Older Than You
You sat down and every face looks decades older. The welcome names no age. Stories from ages 17 to 23 are not a rule. You can sit here tonight.
The RSVP Is Still Blank
The wedding or family RSVP is still blank because you cannot predict them. You can answer for yourself tonight and let their name stay off your line.
The Safety Card Is Not a Promise
F-211 is GSO's optional safety card, and it includes F-209 on common welfare. A card cannot promise the people tonight. If you feel unsafe, you can leave.
The School Parking Lot
You are in the school lot, rehearsing what you will not say. Al-Anon is your meeting. If your child is a teen, Alateen is theirs, not a speech from the car.
The Seat by the Door
Someone offered the seat by the door. You cannot tell if it is kindness or a way to watch you. Take it if you want the exit. Say thanks, or say nothing.
The Second Night Feels Worse
The second night feels worse than the first. That happens. You can go back and only listen, even if the bravery from yesterday is gone.
The Self-Support Card Is Not Dues
The self-support card explains the Seventh Tradition, and it is no charge. It is not a bill and not dues. No amount is required for you to sit and listen.
The Service Center Employee Is Not Your Sponsor
The person who answered at a local office is an employee, not your sponsor. Sponsorship is unpaid 12th Step work. You still choose whom you ask for help.
The Service Diagram Is Not the Door
Someone handed you a service diagram and you felt stupid. It outlines structure in pictures. You can sit in a meeting tonight without reading the boxes.
The Seventh Tradition Basket
You can stay with empty pockets. A.A. has no dues or fees. The Seventh Tradition basket is voluntary. Skipping it does not cost you the chair.
The Share Is Faster Than Your English
The share is faster than your English. You can still sit, and you do not have to speak. Look for a Spanish-speaking meeting and confirm the listing first.
The Shift Ends at the Door
You clocked out and the meeting is next, and you still smell like work. Show up in the uniform or the dirty shoes. If you are late, there is a phone meeting.
The Sibling They Call Last
You are the sibling who gets the crisis call after everyone else is tired. You can love them and still not be the only plan tonight.
The Sign Says Men and You Do Not Fit
The listing says men, or women, and you do not match the word. You can ask. A group using the A.A. name keeps the door open to any alcoholic who wants help.